The instant invention relates to the martial arts and more particularly to a practice weapon for use during practice or sparring sessions by those engaged in the martial arts.
Interest in the martial arts has increased substantially over the last decade; and, as a result, the number of schools, organizations and associations involved in the advancement and development of skills in the martial arts has increased correspondingly. This increase in interest has extended to a variety of different disciplines of the martial arts on both competitive and noncompetitive levels. A variety of forms of the martial arts have also become increasingly significant in police training.
Although some forms of the martial arts do not involve the use of weaponry of any type, other forms involve the use of an array of ancient oriental weaponry. In this connection, the use of weaponry such as a staff (an elongated member by itself), a "tonfa" (an elongated member having a perpendicularly extending handle adjacent to an end thereof), or a "nunchaku" (a pair of elongated members interconnected by means of a chain or cord) is well known in some disciplines of the martial arts. In the traditional combat embodiments of these weapons, the elongated members thereof are generally made of a dense hard wood such as oak or maple to permit a user thereof to inflict a serious damaging blow upon an opponent.
The use of the traditional embodiments of weaponry of the above described types in practice or sparring sessions has proven to be impractical for obvious reasons. However, interest in the use of such weaponry still remains high for both private and police training. As a result, several types of training weapons have heretofore been developed and are currently available which are constructed of lightweight plastic or which include safety paddings on the exteriors thereof to prevent personal injury. However, even weapons embodying these safety features have proven to be capable of inflicting serious injuries upon persons struck by them.
Accordingly, it is seen that there is a significant need for a practice weapon construction which can be embodied in the above weapon configurations and which can be used by persons engaged in the martial arts without subjecting their opponents to serious physical risks. The instant invention provides a novel practice weapon construction which meets these criteria, and hence represents a significant advancement in the art of martial art weaponry. Specifically, the weapon construction of the instant invention comprises an elongated member which is defined by an elongated bar element having a padded casing thereon, a cap element having a padded casing thereon, and resilient means securing the cap element to the bar element in substantially axially aligned relation. Accordingly, when the cap element is impacted with an object or a person, the cap element is movable relative to the bar element so that the weapon is capable of delivering only a glancing blow to the person or object rather than a sharp damaging blow. The weapon construction of the instant invention can be embodied in a variety of configurations, including a staff comprising an elongated member which is defined by an elongated bar element having a padded casing thereon and a pair of cap elements which also have padded casings thereon and which are resiliently secured to opposite extremities of the bar element. It can also be embodied as a "tonfa" comprising an elongated member having a handle element which extends perpendicularly outwardly therefrom adjacent to an end thereof wherein the elongated member is defined by an elongated bar element having a padded casing thereon, a pair of cap elements having padded casings thereon and resilient means securing the cap elements to opposite extremities of the bar element. In addition, the weapon construction can be embodied as a "nunchaku" comprising a pair of elongated members which are interconnected by a cord or chain wherein each of the elongated members is defined by an elongated bar element having a padded casing thereon, a pair of cap elements which also have padded casings thereon and resilient means for securing the cap elements to opposite extremities of the respective bar elements so that they are resiliently movable relative thereto.
Due to the unique construction the weapon of the instant invention, the various embodiments thereof can be utilized by persons engaged in the martial arts who have various levels of proficiency without subjecting their sparring partners or opponents to substantial risks. Because the cap elements of the weapons are resiliently secured thereto, the cap elements are resiliently deflected when they are laterally impacted with an object or a person so that the weapon delivers only a glancing blow thereto. Further, when the weapon is longitudinally thrust against an opponent, the resilient spring adjacent to the end which engages the opponent absorbs the shock of the impact.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a safe practice weapon construction for the martial arts.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a safe weapon construction for the martial arts wherein a cap element of the weapon is resiliently deflectable relative to a bar element of the weapon so that when the cap element is impacted with an object or a person, it delivers only a glancing blow thereto.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawing.